Coke
by purple-psychopath
Summary: This story is for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. There is hardly a night that goes by without Sirius being afflicted by nightmares. James and Remus hate it, but sometime Sirius just can't manage without indulging in his vices.


BEATER 2 – The Wigtown Wanderers

This story is for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Optional Prompts:

1. High

6. Nightmare

13. "In freedom, most people find sin."- John Green, The Fault In Our Stars

* * *

"_BLOOD TRAITOR! PLAYING WITH FILTHY MUGGLES!" Sirius had no idea why his Mother was so angry; he was just outside playing with the boy next door. Surely the boy couldn't be a __**muggle**__, after all, Sirius' parents would never live so close to animals. "Just you wait until your Father hears! I should THRASH YOU!"_

_Sirius cringed; he knew his Mother wasn't allowed to beat him without Father's permission, but Father was a weak man too easily swayed by Mother's demands. Sirius knew Father was weak because he'd over heard his Grandfather's discussing the possibility of overpassing Father for the Lordship. Of course, Sirius wasn't supposed to know these things, when Grandfather Pollux had caught him spying he'd held the cruciatus curse on Sirius for two full minutes before Grandfather Arcturus had intervened. Apparently curiosity was a good thing, so long as your curiosity didn't cause you to spy on the wrong people. _

_Before too long, Father was home. Sirius trudged dutifully to his father's study. He waited outside the door while his Mother screeched and raged about what he'd done, though Sirius still didn't understand how the boy could possibly be a muggle. When Mother left the study she smirked triumphantly at Sirius before hitting him with a curse, Sirius collapsed to the floor in agony as his skin began to burn and bubble. She let off just before he lost consciousness, and stalked off. A mildly disfigured Sirius entered his Fathers' study a few minutes later._

_Orion heaved a sigh, summoning a jar of burn salve from the shelf, "Apply the salve to your burns as we speak."_

_Sirius accepted the jar and screwed off the lid._

"_What have you done now Sirius?"_

"_You already know."_

"_I want to hear it in your own words. Your mother can be a bit… well."_

"_She's a battle-axe."_

_Orion quirked a brow, "Where on Earth did you hear that term?"_

"_Uncle Alphard."_

"_Of course. Now, your words Sirius, what happened?"_

"_Mother says I was playing with a mu-"_

"_Yes I already know what your mother said."_

"_I wasn't! He couldn't be a muggle because he lives next to us!"_

"_That boy is, actually a muggle."_

"_He couldn't be, he lives next door! We wouldn't ever live next to animals."_

"_Unfortunately we do."_

"_But why? We have so many other houses we could live in."_

"_This is our ancestral home."_

"_Why would WE ever build a home next to muggles?"_

"_The muggles are a new infestation, we used to own this entire block."_

"_Yeah, until Grandfather Pollux's Father gambled all our money away."_

_Orion frowned, "You will not speak ill of your betters. Where did you hear that anyway?"_

"_Grandfather Arcturus was ranting."_

"_You mustn't spy on-"_

"_Grandfather Arcturus says curiosity is a good thing."_

"_I'm sure he does, he has also told you to not be curious about your family members and their private conversations."_

_Mother was back, "He interrupted you Orion, and you must punish him for such transgressions."_

"_Yes Walburga, perhaps twenty lashes?"_

"_We should let Bellatrix __**play**__ with-"_

"_NO! No, I'll take the lashes. Please Father? Let me have twenty lashes!"_

"_Now he's interrupted __**me**__." Mother scowled down at Sirius, "You'll receive thirty lashes __**and **__be Bellatrix's plaything all afternoon."_

_Father frowned a small bit, and Sirius hoped desperately that he would overrule Mother. But Father was a __**weak **__man after all, far too weak to inherit the Lordship, so Mother got her way._

_Still sore from his lashes, Sirius tried to hide when Bellatrix arrived. Mother dragged him by the ear down to the drawing room where Father and Bellatrix sat in wait._

"_Bellatrix, I know how you like to play rough, but do try to be gentle with Sirius, he's still a child after all."_

"_Of course Uncle Orion," Her voice was sweet as honey, but the glare she sent Sirius was sharper than shards of glass._

_When Father had gone, Mother turned to Bellatrix with a cruel smile, "He's been out playing with muggles. Be sure to curse the filth off of him."_

"_Yes Aunt Walburga, I'll be sure to scour his flesh clean off."_

"_Excellent. Now why don't you two __**play**__ in the basement? No one will hear you there."_

* * *

Sirius screamed, jolting upright in his bed. It'd been so long since he'd had **that** particular nightmare. Well, it was more of a memory; Bellatrix was cruel even when she was younger, the welts across his back from her various 'play dates' stung in memory. He had only been eight in that memory, yet she'd left him bedridden and broken for a month afterwards. He heaved, retching over the side of his bed.

'I'm free now. Free. I never have to go back.' Sirius repeated his hopeful mantra over and over in his head, but the nauseous feeling remained. Sirius knew from far too much experience, that he wasn't going to sleep again tonight, and if he was going to function at all today he'd need a little help.

He sighed, reaching under his nightstand for the small bag of fine white powder he had secreted away. One day, he would kick this habit. He knew James and Remus hated it, Peter didn't really care, bless the fat lump. But tonight, he needed a little help. Because he was free, finally free. Curled up in the guest bedroom at Potter manor, a disowned runaway, and he never had to go back. That at the very least deserved a bit of celebration. "Lumos." He incanted, and a small beam of light emerged to light his next actions.

He tapped out a small mound of the powder on an old Transfiguration book; old Minnie would flip her shit if she knew, and with the straight edge of an old chocolate frog card drew the mound into three thin lines. Tomorrow he'd go out for drinks with James, maybe pick up a few hookers…, muggles, they were truly brilliant. They had loud noisy dance pubs, more brands of alcohol than there were types of wizarding candy; they had hookers and drugs. With a rolled up 5 pound note he leaned over the book and took a line.

James called all those things "vices", said that they'd ruin Sirius' life one day. Maybe James had a bit of a point, but muggle things had been forbidden to Sirius his entire life; muggle friends, muggle toys, muggle clothes. He could hardly be blamed for trying to catch up with all he'd missed now. Sirius sniffled a bit, leaned back over the book and…-

Sirius had a damned right to get high. After dealing with **his** family for so many years? Sirius deserved as many drugs and hookers and beers, "vices", as he wanted. James didn't understand, Sirius had spent his entire life in a cage being tortured and abused, muggle things were his only release, muggle drugs were the best release of all. James could call them destructive or dangerous, or whatever other "d" word he wanted. But when Sirius snorted a line of coke, it made all the misery go away, and when he drank too much muggle alcohol, it tasted like freedom.

Sirius bent back over the book, and took the last line.

Maybe one day he'd quit, just to make James and Remus happy. But that day wasn't coming soon.


End file.
